Pakistan has violated ceasefire over a dozen times in several sectors and districts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir since the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on several launch pads across the LoC on the night of September 28.

Meanwhile, around 153 pigeons that were being smuggled from the Punjab border into Kashmir's Pulwama district were seized by the state police on Saturday. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Jammu and Kashmir is currently investigating the case. There is a possibility that the pigeons were being smuggled into the state for espionage to convey secret information to the Pakistan Intelligence Agencies across the LoC, DNA reported.

"Few days ago, police seized few cartons from a Kashmir-bound vehicle in which 153 pigeons were being smuggled to the Kashmir Valley. The pigeons had strange pink marking and suspicious rings after which the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jammu referred the case to the CID for investigation," Jammu Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sunil Gupta told the Press Trust of India.

Gupta added that the police has handed over the case to the CID and also registered a case under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The accused were produced before a local court where they paid a fine.

When contacted, the DC said that he got message that the pigeons could have been used for transmitting secret messages across the border.

"The pigeons were packed in extremely cruel conditions. A case under prevention of cruelty to Animals Act was filed and the court released the pigeons and the man after depositing the fine," Jammu Deputy Commissioner (DC) Simrandeep Singh told DNA adding that the pigeons might be used for passing on secret information to Pakistan.

Singh further added that the CID was asked to investigate after the police found strange pink markings and rings of different colours on the animals. Some of the birds also had magnetic rings attached to them.

"The CID is examining the purpose of special colour applied to the pigeons and whether they were any colour code. We want to be fully sure before the pigeons are released," the DC said.

The birds have been handed over to an NGO- Save Animals Value Environment (SAVE) and will be released only after the completing of the probe.